Necromancers and Ballet Dancers
by Soulseekerthe13th
Summary: Experimental: A terribly strange continuation of the Null saga. This story has cliffhangers, morbid horror, and some very funny moments. Name what my cleverly placed Lovecraft references are, and you win a prize from beyond the grave!
1. Necromancers

**Necromancers and Ballet Dancers**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the Teen Titans, nor do I own any other work of fiction, which I will probably referencing throughout the course of this story.**

It was morning, I think, and the warm breeze was welcome in the deathly still air.In the enormous "T"shaped tower that stood in the very center of the lake/ocean/bay. I wasn't sure exactly sure, because I had come by land, and there was just enough salt and just enough of a breeze to befuddle me as to which it was.

_REAPER'S NOTE: At this point, Llud, or Null, because I'm sure you read my other story and know about all of this "Llud"/"Null" confusion. If you haven't, read it. NOW!!! Stopped telling us his story, and the rest was removed from his brain through a biofeedback device, so we will be moving into the third person._

Malchior laughed, (You didn't think it was Null by the docks did you?)

Soon he would be liberated, and not by the girl, by a force stronger than her, stronger than him, stronger then us all: Zenith. Now, come to think of it, Malchior wasn't actually ON the docks, but looking at them from Raven's windowsill. I hope that cleared things up a little.

Now, I hope that all of you are wondering what happened to Null at this point. Well, after zapping himself with a power-line, bonking his head with a coconut, and doing countless other things that were supposed to give one's memory back, he gave up. Finally, in the corner of the shop where he "worked" he found a small, embossed book bound in black leather. Or, if you were feeling morbid, it could've been human skin, but it would've have had to have been heavily painted. (Try saying that 5 times fast!) The book, embossed with a single, golden "N" in gothic font, had several spells, from growing rutabagas to restoring memories that have been stripped away by order of The Council of the Void, was not exactly what Null was looking for, but it could have to do for now.

There was a resounding knock on the door. Malchior would've jumped if he had not been imprisoned inside a book. Robin opened the door. Null was standing there, beaten, rain-soaked, and scarred. He looked, Robin thought, like someone who had been electrocuted and then bonked in the head with a coconut. Robin shut the door. The door fell in. Now, not FELL in exactly, but crumpled inward on itself to the point when it couldn't support its own weight anymore.

Null stood there with a malicious, impish grin on his face. The emotion, however sarcastic, didn't really seem to fit Null, and he seemed oddly crooked. "Listen to me." Null commanded, his voice not the seductive monotone or the maniacal insanity that usually issued from the villain's mouth. This was a forceful, hate-filled growl. "Call the others."

"Now," strained Null, for whatever it was that he wanted to say seemed to take up considerable effort, "I've come to-to apologize…" Beast Boy counted down on his fingers, he knew what was coming next. 3…2…1. …"Because I need your help." "What is it exactly that you wasn't?" asked Robin inquisitively. "The book of Malchior." Null responded. "To do what, release the dragon-spirit?" "No, my fine-feathered imbecile, to protect it." "Protect it from whom?" Starfire asked. Null, unfortunately, had not heard her correctly, and answered with "Blaba flargnuget spluzz." as he walked away.

"Raven didn't come down to meet you," said Cyborg, "so I guess she's still in her room." Raven, unfortunately, was meditating, and thus no one was allowed into her room. Null circled her, muttering incantations, shouting about unleashed monsters, and waving his hand in front of her eyes, anything to wake her up so that he could retrieve the book without the spell kicking in and frying him to a crisp.

Null was running out of ideas, and was slowly pacing back and forth, muttering pathetically. "Umm… the tower is turning into cheese, and umm… Rorek is real and he is outside! No, no, umm… flying pigs and umm… chocolate cake, an…"

This time Raven woke up and swiveled her head around. The other Titans quickly explained the scenario, and Raven seemed like she knew exactly what Null was talking about. Especially after she asked. Null had whispered something in her ear, her eyes widened and she immediately asked Null to stay for dinner. "It's fine with us…" Beast Boy remarked, "…if you wear these restraints and never get up and-and keep your head braced to the chair with this big metal thing and…" Cyborg covered his mouth. "Sometimes he can get a little over excited", the half-mechanical man explained.

Dinner was a bit more somber this time, with all of the Titans eating the accustomed take-out pizza on actual PLATES, while Null calmly sipped a glass of blood-red liquid, acting as if he was at a business dinner with his colleges, and not surrounded by his enemies. The other Titans took turns trying to guess what was in the glass. "I'll bet it's some kind of potion." Beast Boy whispered. "Maybe it's goat's blood." Cyborg whispered back. "No," said Raven "That looks more like the Sea Serpent blood with the infused blood of a human and three goats that he MADE me take up on that bridge." The others knew better than to mention that Raven had taken it voluntarily. "Hey, what is that stuff?" asked Robin. "Pomegranate juice." Null said calmly, thank you for asking. "Raven, by the way, I believe you took that concoction voluntarily." Raven hid her face under the hood of her cloak.

"Well, I suppose I will be going now." Null stood up, passing through the shackles as if the weren't even there. "For the record, I could've done that at any time." Null pulled out 5 wrapped boxes, color-coded as to eliminate any confusion. "These were in the event of my death, but I would like you to have them now." With that, Null took the book and vanished.


	2. And

Raven scanned the packages; looking somber a she did so. "They seem safe to open" she said, obviously disappointed. The Titans carefully cut open their packages and revealed: A combat staff with a retractable body and extendable tips for Robin, a traditional edible amulet, or "Tangulafeorm" for Starfire, a little gadget obviously invented by Null himself that was capable of storing massive amounts of geothermal energy and storing it for 6-10 business days for Cyborg, and a Chinese take-out coupon for 5 in Beast Boy's box. Raven refused to open hers outside of her room. However, 7 full minutes of Beast Boy's boisterous blathering (Try saying that 5 times fast!) caused her to change her mind. It turned out to be a statue of Trigon, Destroyer of Worlds, supported by a pair of Malchior-esque dragons. Judging by the design, it seemed as if winding one of the Malchiors' tails would open Trigon's mouth, in a kind of music box. "Cool" said Beast Boy, reaching for the statue. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Raven stepped in front of the box, keeping him away. She retreated to her room for the night, taking the statue with her.

Dinner the next night was Chinese take-out, Beast Boy's treat. Once Beast Boy had cleaned the boxes down to the last 7 electrons, which he decided to have Cyborg remove with an ETM later, he passed out the fortune cookies. The Titans took turns reading the oddly unusual fortunes. "Your sanity will at some point fail you and leave you a miserable wreak." Cyborg read. "Your lover will betray you." Read Beast Boy. "No one will ever appreciate you" Starfire recited glumly. "Your doom is imminent." Robin said. "Well, those seem rather cheery." Raven said, her voice dripping with sarcasm in such a way that you wanted to keep a paper towel under her to prevent sarcasm from getting on the rug. "Let's see mine." This is what she read: "Someone who you have never quite trusted and currently like/hate has tricked you into trusting them and thus stolen a priceless, life-ruining magical artifact right out from under your nose!" As soon as she had finished, a long, skeletal arm protruded from the produced piece of paper and tweaked her nose sharply, causing her to stagger back and run straight to her room to take inventory.

Raven was confused, Null hadn't taken anything except for Malchior's book, and she knew why he had taken that. The Order would be after it, she knew that, and Null's presence was enough to assure her that the book needed to be in safer… tendrils. The Titan Warning Signal and Evildoer Alarm (Available at a Hero Supply Store near you.) interrupted Raven's internal musing. Raven flipped open the gem that fastened her cloak, looking down at it, she saw that a bank in downtown Jump City was being robbed. The Titans rushed down, using their various modes of transportation. Unfortunately, they must've been noticed, for that instant, the T-Car was launched sideways into a fire hydrant by its bumper, and Raven and Cyborg just barely managed to remove themselves in time. "Whoever it is, they must be expecting us." Growled Robin. They flung open the doors to reveal that the criminals had not yet started on their monologue. "Look, can you guys make the monologue quick, because I never got to finish Robo-Slam 4!?" quipped Beast Boy. "In fact, why don't you give us your names so we can kick you back into jail?" Robin added. "Why of course," said one of the three criminals in a whispery distant tone, "We are happy to oblige." Only then did Robin register how strangely the crooks were dressed. The two in front, a man and a woman, both wore identical black jumpsuits, black leather jackets and black boots, all emblazoned with glowing runes and circuit board symbols. Hats also covered their faces. The one in the back wore a cloak bearing the same symbols, the hood and sleeves covering his hands and face, so that no part of his body could be seen. The man spoke, "We are Necron," the man stepped forwards, "Metranoma," the woman did so, "and Eldritch." The cloaked figure stepped forwards in a strange manner, as if he was slithering on a base of writhing snake-feet. "Titans, GO!" yelled Robin, and they charged forwards. Raven and Beast Boy went after Necron, and he seemed to slip and slide, wraith like, to dodge their every blow. Finally however, he pulled out a staff and began to strike back. At first the bows were light, and served no purpose other than to keep the Titans on the defensive. Soon the blows began to come harder, and then he lowered the staff at the green changeling as if he meant to run him through. Instead however, dark tendrils emanated from B.B.'s body, and were drained into the staff. With every tendril, Necron looked younger, stronger, and more powerful. Before Raven could stop him, Beast Boy was shriveled on the floor. "You're a necromancer." Raven muttered under her breath. The stranger nodded, and arms much like the one from the fortune cookie ripped from the ground and put a pulsating black gag over her mouth. Robin and Starfire were having even less luck with Metranoma. Ever time Starfire was within striking distance, she would move back again. Robin couldn't understand what was keeping her at bay, unless… Metranoma was using some sort of pulsating energy to keep her… Just then, a bolt of energy struck the wall above Robin's female companion trapping her under 10 tons of brick. Robin rushed at the offending criminal, but she side stepped, and pinned him down by the shirt and cape with a slender katana. Seeing his companions disabled, Cyborg rushed after Eldritch, but the cloaked criminal lifted his sleeves to reveal… A MASS OF WRITHING TENTACLES!!!!! Now, I don't mean two or three per sleeve, I mean perhaps 10 or 20 per sleeve, and that seemed to be just his arms. If that was true, Cyborg didn't want to see what the rest of his body looked like. The crushing tentacles wrapped around Cyborg, who was still about 5 feet away, and began to crush him in their terrible grip. Then, quick as a flash, the three criminal creatures vanished, leaving behind the sickly-sweet smell of burnt coffee.


	3. Ballet Dancers

The Titans returned home, battle-worn, only to find that their newly repaired door had been ripped off of its hinges, and most of Raven's possessions were scattered around on the floor. "Raven…" said Beast Boy with a hint of fear in his voice. "Not now." Said Raven, too distracted with trying to find the energy signature of whoever was in her room to listen to him. "Really Raven, what are these?" Robin asked, edging slowly towards her. "What are what?" asked Raven, exasperated. "THOSE!" Beast Boy screamed, jumping backwards several feet. On the ground lurked seven enormous spiders, glowing with magical energy, and bearing eight-eyed, fanged human heads. They had no hair, but simply human-like proportions and eight soulless eyes. They were much bigger than usual spiders, with a leg-span of about 5 feet and a body length of about 4. Raven screamed as she noticed what the other Titans already had: The pathway up to her room, nothing more, nothing less, was completely lined with a sticky, odiferous webbing that had the same burnt-coffee smell as the smoke the robbers had left behind, and the entire length of it was filled with these spiders and several lager cocoons. Each of the other hallways of leading out of the main room was rendered inaccessible and decorated in its own distinct motif. Each of the spiders scattered down a different hallway, leaving two to take care of the Titans.

"Titans GO!" yelled Robin in his signature battle cry. The spiders were soon incapacitated, and each of the Titans ran down the hallway to their own room, not bothering to check if the others were following, and thus not realizing that the spiders were blocking off their only method of escape as they ran. Beast Boy's hall was completely flooded, so he swam through as fast as he could in the form of a puffer fish, and as he swam he thought. "Who is doing all of this? Why is this room flooded? Why is this hallway so long? What are THOSE?" A trio of shark-like things ran at him. They had shark heads, spider bodies, and squid tentacles instead of legs. Beast Boy rapidly changed in to a shark himself, and managed to get rid of one, when another grabbed him, making it possible for the other to recuperate. It seemed this was a battle he could not win.

Robin's hall looked a bit like a castle in construction, the theme was very medieval actually, and Robin thought he might actually make it through to the door on the other side, he WAS almost half way there after all. Suddenly the wall next to him exploded, revealing a set of walking, sword-bearing skeletons.

Raven floated through the cobweb-infested tunnel that used to be the hallway that led to her room. The soul-spiders let her through without any trouble. She knew what hey were of course; they had an entry in the Book of Incarnate. They would devour the souls of whoever was in their cocoons, and leave them a lifeless husk prone to suggestion, and after consuming their souls; they would take on some of their proportional characteristics. She peered into the cocoons, noting the faces of several of the most important people in the entire city, including the mayor. She knew that freeing them wasn't the best idea right now, with all the spiders watching her, so she floated on. She expected anything. Anything but what was about to happen.

Starfire was… Oh come on, I suppose you want to know about the epic battles about to take place, or even Raven's unfortunate encounter. Well, since I know there are a lot of people who like this stuff out there, I'll skip back to Raven, because her encounter is the most important. If you're one of those critics out there who wants to know what's going to happen and how I'm writing it all down, I'll offer a simple answer: I am a Soulseeker, I know EVERYTHING.

Raven stopped. She had pushed open the door that led to her room, expecting to see a scene of unimaginable horror, but instead saw a strangely suited someone sitting on her bed, reading a leather-backed book. He (She assumed it was a he because of its voice) was wearing extremely ornate robes, patterned with spider symbols, frills and tassels, seams and sharp spikes. The part of his head that was not concealed by his hood was covered with a large slate of black tinted glass. "Hello Raven, I've been waiting for you." He hissed. "Now, would you be a dear and give back the book that you've been keeping from us? Come on, be a lamb." "I don't have it." Raven said truthfully, after all, Null had taken it when he left. "Don't lie my little meat poppet, it doesn't suit you." The fake sweetness in his voice was almost enough to make her gag. "I'm not lying." She said, trying to keep the tremor in her voice from showing. "Come on, be a dear and show uncle Agrnyron where you've hidden my lovely little book." "I DON'T HAVE IT." She said, becoming more and more sure of herself. "Oh course you don't," said Argnyron, his voice containing only a gentle level of sarcasm. He reached out an incredibly long arm from the fold of his robed to stroke her chin, an action that for some reason filled her with fear instead of indigence. "You're just a mistake in nature, an insecure little girl who just happened to get powers. Did you think you had some moral responsibility to fill? Did you want to break your father's mold? You don't have any thing to prove. Step into a cocoon, you need to rest. Your life is meaningless, you are nothing, and the others hate you." Raven tried not to listen, but she had to. Was it true? She had never felt more alone.

Robin easily broke through the skeletal warriors that had confronted him with Null's bo-staff. He prepared to face whatever was in his room and found… himself. A photonegative image of himself, with opposite shade hair, skin, and clothes. It was a truly impossible opponent. In hindsight, it probably had to do with the facts that it: A) knew all of his moves. B) Kept taunting him with things like "You think you have what it takes?" and C) looked exactly like him, making it difficult psychologically to hit. All of these reasons made it feel 3 times as good when he punched it in the face. Unfortunately, he forgot that, as with all photonegative clones, hitting YOU, not the other way around, hurt it. Hitting yourself doesn't work though, as Robin found out the hard way.

Meanwhile, the other Titans were in similar predicaments. Beast Boy was facing off against a blue armored giant that appeared to control the very water that he was forced to swim in, Starfire was facing off against a wicked old hag in dark robes who was wielding a purple staff, and Cyborg was going up against an entity that seemed to be a mass of binary numbers. All of the battles were going downhill. Unfortunately for the villains, the McKenny family had just purchased a large collection of lawn gnomes, all of which were currently displayed on their front lawn. The bad luck came in the fact that the controlling entity was located in that yard, and happened to stub his toe on one, causing…

The duplicate Robin was fighting vanished in mid kick. Starfire's opponent vanished with a loud crack. Beast Boy felt a shudder as the water calmed as his opponent dissolved into pure, clean water. Cyborg felt a weight fall from his shoulders as his opponent faded away. Only Raven's psychological tormentor did not vanish. He simply hid behind the bed, trying not to let the weary Titans notice him. They seemed to be comforting the magical girl. CURSES! He had been so close to feasting on her soul. Then, with a crack, he vanished too, leaving the Titans to track down the summoner. It was a creature from a distant realm. A creature that went by the name of Zenith.


End file.
